The day couldn't start better... calm seas, no wind, adequate temperature of 9 degrees and a beautiful scenery in front of our ship. We entered Krossfjorden which is surrounded by bare rocky mountains. The peaks are about 800 m high, the last snow fields were still covering part of the rocks and the massive glacier avances into the sea... the front of the ice at least 80 m high. I made a picture in front of this incredible scenery with my Captain Maggi.

We went for a zodiac cruise along the bird cliffs home for thousands of nesting guillemot, some puffins and kittiwakes (sea gulls). On the way to shore a whole bunge of kittiwakes were resting on a small ice floe and while we were passing by all of them took off at once.... wohooo... that was fun!

Brandon landed on a sandy beach a couple of hundred meters away from the glacier front and together with our guests we walked to the massive glacier named the "14th of July". On approach I could feel the cold breath of the glacier, it was like the glacier was alive. Finally I stood close by the glacier and realized that we, human beings, were so small compared to the nature.

I couldn't stop to admire the huge glacier with his crevasses, dust and stones carrying all the way from the top of the mountains down to sea. You could clearly see the way how the ice flows downwards to sea... really great and these different colours unbelievable. It changes from dark brown from the dirt over to white, then blue and green, ohhh, how beautiful. The blue colour comes from the pressure, the more intense the blue colour the more pressure has been excerted on the ice... I heard the glacier roaring, like thunder, and then we were witness of a big calving.... unbelievable... the glacier is alive, wow!!

On the way back to our zodiacs I noticed that Brandon carried some new stuff around with him and a closer look at it revealed a gun!!! Hohooo, why Brandon took a gun with him? I didn't even know that we had a firearm on board. So I asked him and he explained me that the firearm is needed for protection against polar bears. Everyone who wants to visit Svalbard needs to carry a firearm with them while going ashore. Furthermore he said that polar bears are very dangerous and humans are just a simple prey like other animals. Ohohhhh.... for sure I don't like to end up as polar bear food and from now on I kept very close to Brandon at all times.

I made a photo from our blue little ship anchoring offshore in Krossfjorden with the mountain range behind it - now we will explore with our ship Tinayre and Lilliehookfjorden.

Meanwhile the sun did not hide anymore behind the clouds and her rays illuminated the wonderful and colourful mountains, sea, glaciers around us. I had the feeling that a painter was working over here and used all his different pots of paint he could find. I never thought that Spitzbergen was so colourful, really from green over brown, white, blue, grey, yellow and sometimes red... coming around the corner I couldn't trust my eyes .... one huge glacier front from one side to the other almost 270 degrees around... over 4 km long... wohooooo... I turned and turned around but still the glacier was everywhere.... incredible... I do not have words to describe what I adventure... nature... pure and wild incredible nature... crude, rough, simple and unbelievable beautiful...... now I start to understand a bit the polar pioneers how they must have felt to discover our world.....

The day ended with a nice pick-nick on shore on a gravel beach. Drift wood is laying all over and I discovered flowers of all kind of colours and reindeer poop ....

tired but very very happy we went all back to the ship to get a little bit of rest before tomorrow's adventures will start.....